Somewhere (2010)

We enjoyed this languid story of a bored movie star connecting with his 11 year old daughter over a few weeks. No accident that the Police song So Lonely is featured--this guy has no one, despite his hangers-on, until his daughter arrives. Director/writer Sofia Coppola's three features (Lost in Translation (2003) which won her the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, Marie Antoinette (2006), and The Virgin Suicides (1999)) are all about loneliness in crowds--she's been down this road before. Stephen Dorff (my faves of his career from ages 12-37: Backbeat (1994) in which he played Stu Sutcliffe, who was briefly in the Beatles, I Shot Andy Warhol (1996), Blood and Wine (1996), and Cecil B. Demented (2000)) is Johnny Marco, living at the Chateau Marmont above the Sunset Strip (where John Belushi died), too listless to stay awake for twin strippers he has hired to pass some time between shoots. When his ex-wife drops off their daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning, who will be 13 in April--her sister Dakota will be 17 this month, is quite the accomplished actress: Ruth in The Door in the Floor (2004), the little blonde girl in Babel (2006), the "niece" in I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With, the young redhead in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) Johnny begins to come to life. His one friend Sammy, played by Chris Pontius (I haven't seen Jackass, so had not heard of him until researching this later), shows up when there's fun to be had, but isn't around for the lonely times. Jack commented that he could see why many movie stars turn to addictive substances because their lives can be so boring when they're not exciting.

The title is somewhat misleading because the locations are distinct. Most of the movie takes place at the iconic hotel, and was really shot there, in room 59, which is often a hangout for Hollywood "bad boy" types, and they take side trips to Milan and Las Vegas, as well as driving around L.A. in Johnny's Ferrari (potential for carsickness, but I wasn't affected). Coppola has insisted that this is not based on her life as the daughter of famed director Francis Coppola (by the way, it's COPE-a-la), but that she wanted to make a movie in and about Los Angeles. On the official website you can read more about her inspiration, as well as some behind-the-scenes footage and interviews, including a comment about shooting in cars. She seems to be the ideal director, open to suggestions, and kind, even loving, to her cast and crew. We liked how she wrote Johnny as a nice guy, friendly to the staff. The soundtrack, by the French band Phoenix, and more, is hip, as Sofia's soundtracks always are (Marie Antoinette was accompanied by many catchy tunes from the 1980s and not the 1780s).

This is not really for kids of Cleo's age, due to some nudity, sex, and plenty of profanity (here's the parents' guide). Out of 115 reviews on rottentomatoes 72% of critics liked it, but only 49% of nearly 18,000 audience members. Well, Jack and I like the little indies and this one, one of the National Board of Review's Top Ten Independent Films (see its other achievements here), gets our vote.